Lining unit for burial cases



Nov. 28, 1939. E. c. BowLER, JR

LINING UNIT FOR BURIAL CASES original Filed Dec. si.' 19:57

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INVENTOR E7/'mesi C'awler; efr

ATTORNEY ,S

Patented Nov. 28, 19x39 I SA'I'ENTl oFFicE 2,181,504. LlNlNG UNIT Fon BURAL'cAsEsj Ernest c. Bowler, Jr., Peruana, Maine lApplication 2 Claims.

' removablev interior or lining unit comprising framing `strips `provided with marginal prongs with' which the lining or interior fabric for the burial case was adapted to be detachably engaged, said framing strips being equipped with fastening means adapted for quick detachable connection with complemental fastening means on the burial case so that the framing strips and the attached lining or interior fabric could be quickly and conveniently attached to and detached from the burial case 'as a. unit.

While entirely satisfactory, the structure of my prior patent aforesaid required thatthe lining or interior fabric be penetrated by the prongs of the framing strips' in attaching and detaching, and where these operations were carelessly or hurriedly performed there was danger of tearing or otherwise injuring the'delicate material of the lining or interior fabric.

In certain instances also it was found that because the use of my patented lining unit involved engaging the fabric with prongs on a framing element rather than tacking the fabric.

directly in place within theburial case, the workmen objected to learning a new procedure.

Accordingly, the general object of my presentl invention is to provide alining unit which willl overcome these objections, real or fancied, to the use of my patentedlining unit. I achieve this object by the' use of a framing element which avoids the use of any prongs, barbs orv teeth for penetrating and retaining the lining or interior fabric in place on the framing element, the framing element being constructed to afford an attaching surface into which` the usual lining attaching tacks may be driven andheld or to which the lining or interior fabric 'may be' K otherwise secured, as by gluing, pasting, cementing, etc. g

A further improvement over my prior patent aforesaid resides in the provision of abacking element in the nature of a light, but relatively iiexible or conformable sheet of any suitable material as composition board, ply-wood, fibre board,v

December 31, 1937, serial Ne. 182,656

Renewed April 29, 1939 or otherwise attached to said strip or strips arey detachably mounted as a unitwithin the burial case' or shell. Such a vbacking element is particularly useful where the part of the burial case. or shell to be lined is a concaved part, such as 5. the hinged lid or cover. f l

My improved lining unit, however, maybe applied to any part of the burial case or shell to be lined, as for example, the hinged rails, or the foot portions of the burial case, iny which 1 0 event, the lining unit is usually comprised by a single framing strip and av lining or interior fabric of appropriate size detachably assembled therewith. p,

In the accompanying drawing I have illus- 1-5 trated in vertical cross section a burial case orshell of conventionaltype equipped with `lining means in accordance-with my present invention. The type of burial oase or shell selected as illustrative is a casket of half couch typehaving a 20, hinged cover, a'hinged front rail, and a hinged. head rail. My novel lining means, however, may be applied. to any of the several types of burial cases now in use, and accordingly theillustrations of the burialv `case and the lining means r2K5 are intended only as suggestive of the many possibilities of my invention. e

Fig. 1 is a front view of ay lining unit particularly intendedfor placement within the concave lid or vcover of. a conventional burial case 3Q.

ofthe half couchI type, such lining unit cornprisinga relatively light backing elementv substantially conforming in size and shape to the vinterior of the hinged lid or cover, and framing strips applied as a border reinforcement to said 351;

backing `element and themselves constituting both the means for detachably assembling the vlining unitwithin the'lid or cover and the carrier for the detachable lining or interiorl fabric, such fabric, however, being omitted in Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a rear View of Fig. 1. v' Fig. 3 lillustrates a lining unit optionally usable ina hinged lid or cover in place of that shown in Figs.' 1 and 2, and comprising a plurality of interconnected frame strips shaped and dimensioned `to substantially conform to the interior of the hinged lid or cover. l Y, K

Fig. 4 is an kenlarged fragmentary perspective section through the lining unit of Figs. 1 and 2 50 and particularly illustrating the tacking or otherwise attaching of the lining or interior fabric thereto.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4, but showing the device of Fig. 4 detachably engaged with a 65 complementa] fastener in the hinged lid or cover of the burial case shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail showing one of the many forms of complemental fastener with which the hinged lid or cover may be equipped.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective section of a framing strip such as may be used with the lining units of Figs. 1 and 2, or that of Fig. 3, or which may be used alone as a framing element for detachably mounting a lining or interior fabric to some selected part of a burial case, as for example, along a hinged rail or foot portion thereof, and

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through a conventional burial case of the half-couch type equipped with the lining unit of Figs. l and 2 in its hinged lid or cover and with the lining unit of Fig. 7 along its hinged front rail.

I have indicated generally at IU a burial case or shell of conventional type comprising a hinged lid or cover i I, and a hinged back rail I2 carrying the hinged lid or cover. The rail I2 is hinged at I3 to the upper edge. of the rear wall of the burial case, and the burial case may have a hinged front rail I4 hinged at I5 to the upper edge of its front wall.

Disposed across the front face of the hinged lid or cover and preferably, although not necessarily, extending over the rear wall and downwardly into the burial case is a removable lining or interior fabric I6.

Disposed over the hinged front rail I4 of the casket and extending downwardly and inwardly into the burial case preferably fo-r a distance to overlap the inner edge of the fabric I6 as is customary is another section or piece of lining or interior fabric I1.

Both lining or interior fabrics, if both the cover i I and front rail It are lined, are, detachably fastened to and` carried by framing elements I8 which are equipped with fastenings I9 adapted for quick detachable connection with complemental fastenings 2U on the part 0r parts of the burial case over which the lining or interior fabrics are intended tobe draped.

In its simplest form such framing element is a relatively narrow strip of any desired length and bent where necessary to conform approximately to the configuration of the burial case part to which it is intended to be detachably fastened.

In order to provide the desired stiffness and rigidity and at the same time to enable the male fastenings I9 to be integrally formed therewith, I prefer to construct such strip or strips of sheet metal, although my invention is not limited to such material. The sheet metal, however, constitutes an ideal material in that it permits the male fastenings I 9 to be struck as simple tongues from the rear face of the strip for readyy insertion into any suitable complemental female fastening elements 2li carried by the appropriate part ofthe burial case.

As detailed in Figs. 5 and 6, such female fastening elements 2HE may be socketed plates flush with the burial case part and having appropriately shaped slots 2l to receive the male fastenings I9, there being resilient gripping means as at 22 adjacent said slots to prevent accidental disengagement of the parts.

In order to enable the .lining or interior fabric to be detachably fastened to the framing element without the necessity of hooking such fabric over prongs, barbs or teeth on the framing element, I construct the framing element asa channel strip and fill the open face of the channel with some substance or composition 23 to which the fabric may be attached, as by tacking, gluing, or the like. Where the lining is tacked, the ller 23 is of a material which will receive and hold the usual tacks 24 conventionally used for tacking the fabric directly to the wooden parts of the burial case where no framing element is employed. Obviously, such filler material 23 may be of any desired composition consistent with its use either as a tacking or gluing surface.

As previously suggested, the framing strips may bel assembled to form an open frame-like member 25 asI illustrated in Fig. 3, suchl member being especially usefulV for positioning a lining or interior fabric within the hinged cover of the burial case, or such framing strips i8 may be assembled as a border reinforcement with a backing element 26 for a similar purpose as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The backing element 2S may be of any suitable material, as fibre-boardl or the like, and as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5 one edge of each channel strip constituting the border reinforcement for the backing element 2S is extended across and turned down upon the corresponding edge of the backing element 26, as at 2, to thereby receive and retain'said backing element. If desired,l the backing element may be additionally fastened to the framing strips as by rivets or equivalent fastenings i8.

Where lighting effects are desiredr these may be obtained by placing any suitable illuminating means, as a n eon tube or tubes, in the space between the front face of the hinged lid or cover of the burial case and the attached lining element, the translucent lining or interior fabric diffusing the light rays therethrough as a subdued glow of unusual warmth and beauty.

Various other modifications in the construction of a lining unit may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention if within the limits of the appended claims.

vWhat I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l

1. In a burial case having a part provided. with fastening elements, a detachable lining unit for face and having a ller in said channel constituting an attaching surface to which the lining element is adapted to be. attached, the inner face of said strip having-fastening means for cooperation with the complemental fastening elements on the burial case part for detachably fastening the framing strip and its attached lining element as a unit to the burial case part.

2. In a burial case having a hinged cover provided with fastening elements, a detachable lining unit for said cover comprising a backing member substantially conforming to the inner face of the cover, a framing element comprising strips assembled with said backing` element as a border reinforcement, and a lining element car-l ried by said framing elements, said framing strips having channels in their outer faces and having fillers in said channels constituting attaching surfaces to which the lining element is adapted to be attached, and the inner faces of said stripsv 

